New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\nWhile last year\u2019s frontrunning quartet re-established themselves at the head of the field, it was another dire day for Aston Martin, which failed to set a time.<\/p>\n
A shortage of spare parts for the troubled Honda power unit restricted Lance Stroll to just six untimed laps, leaving the team to pack up early.<\/p>\n
Teams will leave Bahrain for the European bases to pore over the data generated by these all-new cars and power units, but they won\u2019t have long to regroup before flying to Melbourne for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix starting on 6 March, less than a fortnight from today.<\/p>\n
WHO WAS FASTEST?<\/p>\n
Lap times from testing are an unreliable indicator of true performance given the variables are so much more significant outside the confines of a race weekend.<\/p>\n
The weather, the time of day, the tyre compound used, fuel loads, engine modes and other factors all contribute to differences that aren\u2019t easily divined from outside the team.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also the matter of the development trajectory, which applies to both cars and engines. The BBC has reported, for example, that McLaren has been using an old-spec Mercedes engine while the works team validates the new engine that all Mercedes teams will use in Melbourne.<\/p>\n
But in the final cooler hours of testing in Bahrain, teams tend to take some fuel out of the car and undertake something resembling a performance run, giving us a loose indication of single-lap speed.<\/p>\n
Ferrari smashed it out of the park, with Leclerc slashing the previous benchmark.<\/p>\n
But note that the next two best times came from Mercedes and McLaren and on day 2, not day 3.<\/p>\n
That immediately tells you that the raw times can be only so useful.<\/p>\n
Times by team, second Bahrain test<\/p>\n
1. Ferrari: 1m 31.992s (Charles Leclerc, day 3)<\/p>\n
2. Mercedes: +0.811 (Andrea Kimi Antonelli, day 2)<\/p>\n
3. McLaren: +0.869 (Oscar Piastri, day 2)<\/p>\n
4. Red Bull Racing: +1.117 (Max Verstappen, day 3)<\/p>\n
5. Alpine: +1.429 (Pierre Gasly, day 3)<\/p>\n
6. Haas: +1.495 (Oliver Bearman, day 3)<\/p>\n
7. Audi: +1.763 (Gabriel Bortoleto, day 3)<\/p>\n
8. Racing Bulls: +2.157 (Arvid Lindblad, day 3)<\/p>\n
9. Williams: +2.350 (Carlos Sainz, day 3)<\/p>\n
10. Cadillac: +3.298 (Valtteri Bottas, day 3)<\/p>\n
11. Aston Martin: +3.982 (Lance Stroll, day 1)<\/p>\n
But the finishing order in general feels right by the paddock vibe.<\/p>\n
The Mercedes and Ferrari cars have looked the most consistently impressive on track, and their power units have generally been reliable.<\/p>\n
Speculation still suggests that Mercedes hasn\u2019t shown its full hand \u2014 which would surely account for much of the 0.8-second difference \u2014 but then Ferrari has kept a much lower profile during testing in general and has made no secret about ramping up towards Melbourne.<\/p>\n
McLaren thinks it\u2019s the fourth-best team but probably in the mix with Red Bull Racing, whose impressive start to testing had a little \u2014 but only a little \u2014 of the sheen taken off it as other teams and engine manufacturers caught up.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s one other thing worth noting, particularly as the debate about the power unit and energy management rumbles on in the background.<\/p>\n
The need for drivers to manage electrical energy shouldn\u2019t be mistaken for a sign that the cars are slow.<\/p>\n
Leclerc was just 2.151 seconds slower than last year\u2019s Bahrain pole time, set by Piastri.<\/p>\n
For reference, the difference in pole time at the 2021 and 2022 Bahrain grands prix \u2014 across the last major regulation change \u2014 was a comparable 1.561 seconds.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s gap will likely get wider at high-downforce circuits, where ground-effect aerodynamics were most effective, but it will likely also shrink at street tracks, like Monaco, where the current generation of car will be more agile \u2014 and where it\u2019s easy to charge the battery.<\/p>\n
The deficit will also close quickly, though, during the season thanks to the expected ferocious development rate.<\/p>\n
Whichever was you cut it, it\u2019s clear the new car is seriously fast, even if concerns about energy management persist in the background.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s very comfortably in the ballpark for a car in its first season of new rules, which is why all but the keenest punters are unlikely to notice a significant difference in how the cars behave.<\/p>\n
MotoGP finds new home with epic new look | 06:55<\/p>\n
WHO WAS MOST RELIABLE?<\/p>\n
Mercedes has seemed determined to stamp its authority on testing by setting the most laps ever since it rolled out of pit lane first in Barcelona.<\/p>\n
It would have achieved the feat even more comfortably had it not suffered a string of reliability niggles during the first week in Bahrain.<\/p>\n
More interesting, though, are the teams that follow.<\/p>\n
Haas came very close to beating Mercedes to the top of the chart, falling short by just 84 kilometres.<\/p>\n
It says much about the team\u2019s determined, workmanlike approach testing and also much about the dependability of its Ferrari motor.<\/p>\n
Mileage by team, 2026 pre-season testing<\/p>\n
1. Mercedes: 1216 laps (6202.0 kilometres)<\/p>\n
2. Haas: 1185 laps (6118.0 kilometres)<\/p>\n
3. Ferrari: 1184 laps (6075.6 kilometres)<\/p>\n
4. McLaren: 1107 laps (5772.1 kilometres)<\/p>\n
5. Racing Bulls: 1052 laps (5452.6 kilometres)<\/p>\n
6. Alpine: 1015 laps (5229.7 kilometres)<\/p>\n
7. Red Bull Racing: 976 laps (5052.6 kilometres)<\/p>\n
8. Audi: 953 laps (4974.2 kilometres)<\/p>\n
9. Williams: 790 laps (4275.5 kilometres)<\/p>\n
10. Cadillac: 750 laps (3935.2 kilometres)<\/p>\n
11. Aston Martin: 400 laps (2115.0 kilometres)<\/p>\n
The midfield is tough to divine, but the mileage chart gives us some indication.<\/p>\n
Trackside observers suggest the Haas looks well put together \u2014 clearly not a frontrunner but with no major vices.<\/p>\n
Intriguingly, though, by the end of Bahrain it looked like it had been joined by Alpine, last year\u2019s worst team.<\/p>\n
Alpine was so bad last year \u2014 the most distant last-placed team in championship history \u2014 because it devoted almost all its resources to its 2026 car.<\/p>\n
Combined with a switch to the Mercedes power unit, those efforts appear to have paid dividends.<\/p>\n
The car has looked increasingly impressive as the test has gone on, and it would have matched Haas on mileage were it not for a couple of slow days.<\/p>\n
In lieu of a Brawn-style surprise this year, Alpine\u2019s jump from 10th to in competition for fifth would be the closest thing.<\/p>\n
Williams, however, took the same approach as Alpine but seems set to start the season in disappointing fashion.<\/p>\n
The team recovered mileage reasonably after embarrassingly missing the first test in Barcelona, but that lost track time has compounded. The car rarely looked like it was in a sweet spot.<\/p>\n
Team boss James Vowles has all but admitted the car is overweight, and some reports suggest it could be by as much as first feared, by around 30 kilograms.<\/p>\n
That would be worth almost a second a lap on its own \u2014 notwithstanding most teams are believed to be over the minimum weight, even if by much less.<\/p>\n
A fast diet would lead to immediate gains, but development time and money spent on lightening the load is resource that can\u2019t be directed to aero development.<\/p>\n
Racing Bulls should have the potential to contend given its power unit seems to be able to do the business, but the car never looked as consistent on track, putting it in a battle with Audi \u2014 the former Sauber team \u2014 which has been a little understated but looks like it\u2019s in a decent place with its brand-new engine.<\/p>\n
Feeney starts season in style | 02:33<\/p>\n
ALONSO FEELS LIKE IT\u2019S 2015 ALL OVER AGAIN<\/p>\n
Notwithstanding some difficulties in the midfield, so far the picture from testing is pretty rosy. Considering there were fears the new power units would be badly unreliable and the cars would struggle to string together more than a few laps \u2014 as happened in 2014, which is why the Barcelona test was conducted behind closed doors \u2014 we look set for a spectacle that probably won\u2019t look too much different to the last few years.<\/p>\n
Except for one team, that is.<\/p>\n
There was so much hype around Aston Martin coming into 2026. Even if dreams of rolling out a title-winning car this year were always farfetched, the combination of iconic designer Adrian Newey, two-time champion Fernando Alonso and the title-winning Honda team producing power units seemed irresistible.<\/p>\n
But the team\u2019s pre-season campaign has been nothing short of disastrous, bad beyond imagination \u2014 and it only got worse the longer it lasted.<\/p>\n
The final day of testing started, for example, with Honda announcing it had run out of spare parts for its power unit because it had failed so many times already, which would restrict the team to a \u201cvery limited\u201d run plan consisting \u201conly of short stints\u201d.<\/p>\n
That translated to six untimed laps: two in the morning, four in the afternoon.<\/p>\n
While former engine supplier Mercedes powered to more than 21,000 kilometres, Honda ended with barely 2000 kilometres, which was less than half the number racked up even by new engine builder Audi.<\/p>\n
Mileage by power unit, 2026 pre-season testing<\/p>\n
1. Mercedes: 4128 laps (21,479.3 kilometres)<\/p>\n
2. Ferrari: 3119 laps (16,128.8 kilometres)<\/p>\n
3. Red Bull Powertrains: 2028 laps (10,505.2 kilometres)<\/p>\n
4. Audi: 953 laps (4974.2 kilometres)<\/p>\n
5. Honda: 400 laps (2115.0 kilometres)<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve got to feel for Fernando Alonso. He\u2019s been here before \u2014 almost exactly here before.<\/p>\n
He was lured to McLaren in 2015 by the promise of a new golden age with the Honda power unit. McLaren-Honda of course evoked memories of the team\u2019s glittering partnership with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, delivering some of the most dominant seasons in F1 history.<\/p>\n
What he got, however, was a badly undercooked engine in a car that was deceptively badly built. The McLaren-Honda relationship was almost immediately terminally damaged, and they separated after three seasons.<\/p>\n
Honda eventually went on to win titles with Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen, while McLaren was forced into a period of soul-searching after realising the car wasn\u2019t much chop even with the more competitive Renault engine.<\/p>\n
Alonso has staked the final chapter and perhaps the final year of his career on the financial might and new technical structure of Aston Martin combining successfully with the title-winning Honda.<\/p>\n
Instead he\u2019s got the 2015 Honda motor all over again.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not all down to Honda. Aston Martin is building its gearbox and rear suspension for the first time in decades, and the transmission in particular has caused serious trouble during testing. The new hierarchy is also still bedding in.<\/p>\n
But whatever the case, Aston Martin is at genuine risk of competing only with newcomer Cadillac \u2014 that is, a team that barely existed just 12 months ago \u2014 assuming either of its cars can make it to the finish at all in Melbourne.<\/p>\n
How Phillip Island became too ‘hard’ | 01:09<\/p>\n
RED BULL\u2019S FIRST ENGINE LOOKS LIKE THE REAL DEAL<\/p>\n
While Honda struggles, its former works partner, Red Bull Racing, is doing just fine.<\/p>\n
Red Bull Powertrains, delivering its first engine this year, has proven that it is possible to be at least reasonably competitive straight out of the box.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s done so by poaching from both Mercedes and Honda and elsewhere. To be fair, it\u2019s also been set up only to build F1 engines, whereas Audi and Honda, for example, are approaching the challenge as major auto manufacturers.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s really no talking down the brand\u2019s achievements. Few people gave Red Bull any hope of being competitive with a new engine this year, yet the team looks comfortably set up in the top four thanks to a power unit that some rivals have suggested is currently at the forefront of energy management.<\/p>\n
Though it completed only half Mercedes\u2019s mileage, a better gauge of reliability is how many kilometres were completed per team.<\/p>\n
Red Bull, after all, is powering only two teams, whereas Mercedes is supplying four.<\/p>\n
Mileage by power unit per team, 2026 pre-season testing<\/p>\n
1. Ferrari: 1040 laps (5376.3 kilometres)<\/p>\n
2. Mercedes: 1032 laps (5369.8 kilometres)<\/p>\n
3. Red Bull Powertrains: 1014 laps (5252.6 kilometres)<\/p>\n
4. Audi: 953 laps (4974.2 kilometres)<\/p>\n
5. Honda: 400 laps (2115.0 kilometres)<\/p>\n
Breaking down the data like this realigns expectations to some extent.<\/p>\n
Ferrari, for example, despite one of its three teams being Cadillac, completed the most laps by team on average.<\/p>\n
But really there was little to separate Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull. Even Audi was less than 90 laps off the benchmark when the data is cut this way.<\/p>\n
While testing is only just that, and the rigours of a grand prix weekend and the relentless season schedule will uncover new gremlins, it\u2019s a good sign and a far cry from the unreliable days of 2014.<\/p>\n
That is, except, for Honda, which even by this metric is way at the back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ferrari has ended pre-season testing with a warning shot to rivals after Charles Leclerc set the fastest time…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":493719,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[2074,223196,2620,40760,249057,12295,1724,64,249063,63,689,223182,936,937,2090,4971,248302,109457,13275,240643,249067,249079,121620,249074,72812,249078,236226,38763,243352,249059,81133,2057,817,845,249064,813,816,249061,841,90143,14211,16200,21764,106466,249066,16201,825,647,242635,193796,249056,677,249077,157092,248294,18923,228944,51043,249060,225387,668,12022,21786,249075,70479,249076,226772,249073,243364,249070,249071,3595,2020,85,249068,117411,7663,219711,249065,249058,249072,660,132501,12000,249080,249069,249062],"class_list":{"0":"post-493718","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-formula-1","8":"tag-adrian-newey","9":"tag-aero-development","10":"tag-agence-france-presse","11":"tag-alain-prost","12":"tag-all-over-again","13":"tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","14":"tag-asia","15":"tag-au","16":"tag-aussie-jack-miller","17":"tag-australia","18":"tag-australia-and-new-zealand","19":"tag-auto-manufacturers","20":"tag-bahrain","21":"tag-barcelona","22":"tag-british-broadcasting-corporation","23":"tag-carlos-sainz","24":"tag-challenges-people-face","25":"tag-championship-history","26":"tag-charles-leclerc","27":"tag-development-time","28":"tag-development-trajectory","29":"tag-disappointing-fashion","30":"tag-dominant-seasons","31":"tag-ends-testing","32":"tag-energy-management","33":"tag-energy-management-rumbles","34":"tag-engine-builder","35":"tag-engine-manufacturers","36":"tag-engine-modes","37":"tag-engine-runs","38":"tag-engine-supplier","39":"tag-europe","40":"tag-f1","41":"tag-fernando-alonso","42":"tag-ferocious-development-rate","43":"tag-formula-1","44":"tag-formula1","45":"tag-fourth-best-team","46":"tag-grand-prix","47":"tag-grand-prix-weekend","48":"tag-grands-prix","49":"tag-honda-motor-company","50":"tag-james-vowles","51":"tag-lap-times","52":"tag-lost-track-time","53":"tag-ltd","54":"tag-max-verstappen","55":"tag-melbourne","56":"tag-mileage-chart","57":"tag-motorcycle-grand-prix","58":"tag-next-best-time","59":"tag-oceania","60":"tag-paddock-vibe","61":"tag-performance-run","62":"tag-pole-time","63":"tag-power-unit","64":"tag-power-units","65":"tag-pre-season-testing","66":"tag-pre-season-testing-event","67":"tag-preseason-testing","68":"tag-press-conference","69":"tag-province-of-barcelona","70":"tag-race-weekend","71":"tag-raw-times","72":"tag-real-deal","73":"tag-realigns-expectations","74":"tag-regulation-change","75":"tag-relentless-season-schedule","76":"tag-reliability-niggles","77":"tag-run-plan","78":"tag-seaon-opener","79":"tag-southern-europe","80":"tag-spain","81":"tag-sports","82":"tag-starts-season","83":"tag-street-tracks","84":"tag-talking-points","85":"tag-team-looks","86":"tag-thing-worth","87":"tag-troubled-team-hits","88":"tag-untimed-laps","89":"tag-victoria","90":"tag-warning-shot","91":"tag-western-asia","92":"tag-workmanlike-approach-testing","93":"tag-works-partner","94":"tag-works-team-validates"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=493718"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493718\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/493719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=493718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=493718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=493718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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